


Plants, Grass and a Lost Child

by thehappiestgolucky



Series: Vigilante Tiso Drabbles [2]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: How... do i tag this?, I don't know what else to tell you, Like, Lost and Found, Vigilante Tiso, listen a vessel is lost and tiso and quirrel find them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28840461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehappiestgolucky/pseuds/thehappiestgolucky
Summary: A child lost and scared, wandering through green lands in a desperate search for safety.And two blue bugs that just happen to come across them.
Relationships: Quirrel & Tiso (Hollow Knight), Tiso & Greenpath Vessel (Hollow Knight)
Series: Vigilante Tiso Drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084361
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	Plants, Grass and a Lost Child

Greenery swamped the area, long branches and vines wound around buildings and architecture - ends blossoming to soft yet defined flowers. The lakes and pools softly hissed with the slight sting of near acidic level water - the chirping and hum of smaller bugs echoed in the air. 

Greenpath was nothing but breathtaking. Every area buzzed with a form of life, the grassy shrubbery of Mosskin friendly, there wasn't a hint of aggression in this peaceful area. Mostly undisturbed in its natural beauty. 

Quirrel had taken to exploring the flora life, fascinated by the ever changing patterns and nature of each unique plant - as his friend hovered behind, propped uninterested against a outcrop of the wall. It had been, oh what could only have been half the afternoon, since Quirrel had taken a liking to the flora and Tiso had started to get fidgety. Very fidgety. Flora was interesting… for about a minute before moving onto something much more intriguing. What was so fascinating about something that barely moved? The fauna life was far more entertaining than rooted plants. 

“How much longer are you gonna be?” Tiso whined, irritation clear. He only rolled his eyes when his friend chuckled in response, shaking his head as the scholar threw a glance behind him.

“You know, you're always invited to poke these too, my friend.” Quirrel called back, turning his attention back to the plant life, one of which he had gently poked and grinned widely as its petals closed in on itself. A defence mechanism? Tiso scoffed loudly, tapping on his arm as they lay crossed against his chest.

“Really? That's what you're gonna do all day? Just poke plants!”

“Yes.”

“I can't believe you.”

“Flora life is just as interesting, and unique as fauna life. Just because you can't chase it, doesn't mean it's not important knowledge to obtain. The diet and characteristics of bugs can even be defined by certain types of flora!”

“You lost me at ‘you can't chase it’.”

Quirrel spun around with a half-hearted, unamused stare, noting the proud snicker from Tiso at his own joke. 

“You know you don't have to hover around me? There’s nothing to fight.”

“Don’t be stupid, I can wait!... how long are you gonna be?”

The pillbug glanced around, noting the changes to bugs behaviours. It was, in the loosest terms possible, getting late. “At least half an hour.” 

There was a pause as Tiso's face scrunched up. “Yeah - no. I'll come back later on, I am  _ not _ standing around for another two minutes.” As soon as the words left Tiso’s mouth, he removed himself from the outcrop and started striding through the overgrowth.

“Just be careful, and don't lose track of time!” Quirrel called after him, mind already back to the plants. 

“I'll be fine!”

\--------------------

**_It was bright._ **

**_It was loud._ **

**_Too much. Far too much._ **

**_Everywhere led to something. Something that would attack them. Something that would point out to them. Call after them._ **

**_They didn't want to be led to anything. For some dormant reason, they don't want to be discovered._ **

**_A shrill cry was heard. They didn't know what it was. It was a creature small yet with a fanged beak, flying straight for them. No. No._ **

**_They bolted. They ran as far as they could. Their mind raced with fear and possibilities. A bubbling override of fear and horror echoed through their body._ **

**_They darted between foliage and rocks, across gaps and pits. They couldn't hear the shrieking of the small creature, their feet skidding to an uneasy stop._ **

**_Wait. Listen. One beat. Two beats._ **

**_A sudden rustle of leaves, a large imposing figure, jumped from beneath the long grass - charged for them. They scrambled back into a run, tripping over the smallest loose rocks and leapt for the outcrop of an entrance._ **

**_They didn't wait to see where it went. They corrected themselves as they landed roughly and continued running through, giving themselves a glance behind them._ **

**_It was gone._ **

**_And then they fell._ **

**_The ground was cold and hard as their head collided. It was painful. It ached._ **

**_The area was large and open. Pillars stood imposing all around them, towering over them. They wanted out._ **

**_They tried to stand uneasily, nearly falling over with their unbalance, before they attempted to launch themselves forward and away from the place._ **

**_They wanted a hideout._ **

**_They wanted safety._ **

**_Yet as one foot had stepped in front of the other, a dizziness struck them, making them fall._ **

**_And caught. On something strong. On something moving._ **

**_On… a living something._ **

\--------------

Of all the things the ant expected to find in the grassy life of Greenpath, this… creature was not one of them. They were small, with a completely jet black body draped with a tattered cloak, and a large horned shell for their head. They were strange. And they were hurt. 

Tiso easily held the small creature in his hands, eyes furrowed upwards, heart somewhat sunken - as the creature shook. They were scared, terrified even, that much was clear to see. He tried to correct their position, holding them steady as they wobbled on the spot - finding a balance eventually. Their small nub-like hands gripped as tightly as they could onto Tiso’s. 

The creature glanced up slowly, two large pools of pure blackness staring up at Tiso. For a shell devoid of expression, their terror was not unnoticed. It made Tiso wince. The creature couldn't be older than a grub. It was at least a young child. A lost confused child. No wonder they were terrified. 

“You alright kid?” The ant tried asking, his voice unable to achieve the same gentleness of Quirrel’s. The scared child blinked, tilting their head ever so slightly in confusion. Tiso cursed internally. Gods above he wished he was better at this. “Are you hurt?” He asked again, speaking slowly and clearly. Maybe the kid just didn't understand him. 

The child glanced down at their hands, which started to dig (as well as nubs could) into Tiso’s. After a moment of silence, they nodded slowly. 

Well. Well that wasn't good at all.

Tiso wracked his brains, trying desperately to even think of the right words to say. The kid looked ready to bolt and Tiso was not a soft speaker. He had to try though.

“Hey, kid listen.” The child made eye contact again, the wide eyes wobbling and threatening tears, “You're going to be fine. Alright? I've got a friend, and he's really nice, and he'll know how to help, ok?” The child's hands started shaking, yet they didn't seem to want to run. However, they were utterly terrified. “Hey hey hey. You're gonna be fine! I promise you're not gonna get hurt,” Tiso shot a confident grin at the kid, hoping it would reassure them, “You know why? Because I ain't gonna let you get hurt. Alright?”

The child nodded, still shaking and clinging onto the ants hand with all their might. With a swift movement, Tiso lifted the child to cradle in one arm - though the child flinched with fear. The fighter muttered an apology, waiting to let the child adjust to being held, before he walked back through the overgrowth.

The pillbugs eyes scanned the area, sighing lightly as he leaned back. Of course Tiso had lost track of time again. It was sort of his thing at this rate. Calmly, Quirrel fiddled with his headscarf, preparing to go trekking to locate the lost ant, before a loud voice called through the foliage.

“Hey! Quirrel?” 

Tiso ducked under a loose branch, coming into Quirrel’s view.

“There you are!” Quirrel responded, resting back as the ant walked closer. “Where did you walk off to? Found something to fight? Or did you try and see if you could swim in the lake again?” The pillbug chuckled to himself as Tiso rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Well, if you looked, you'll see I found something. Just, they’re jumpy alright?” 

Quirrel’s head tilted, eyes moving to glance at the bundle Tiso was cradling in his arms. “Oh?” was what softly left his mouth, as the creature in the ants arms fearfully eyed the new stranger. The large horned shell, the cloak, the pitch black body. Was that…

A vessel?

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Tfw inspiration to write hits you at the dead of night instead of at reasonable waking hours-


End file.
